Day 131: "Who was the best pilot I ever saw? Well, uh, you're lookin' at him."

Gotta be honest here: I saw the opening fifteen minutes of this movie about 15 years ago and was so unimpressed, I turned it off.  Having today watched the whole thing, The Right Stuff is one of the two best movies about the U.S. space program (Apollo 13 edging it out for the title).  I have no idea what I thought I was watching fifteen years ago, but boy, I was an idiot.  This is a brilliant look at the men and women who helped to give birth to President Kennedy's dream of reaching the Moon.  These men were the ultimate test pilots, putting their lives on the line for their country using completely new, and relatively untested, theories and hardware to achieve the impossible.  The story rarely slows, and the filmmakers show great respect for everyone involved in NASA's birth, from the astronauts to their wives, to the technicians and politicians.  Almost no aspect of this period is overlooked.  This is no short history lesson, either, running three and a quarter hours.  I was very shocked at this, because it did not feel like I was watching for even half of that.

This was released in 1983, and looking back, the ensemble cast is truly an astounding collection of talent: Ed Harris, Scott Glenn, Dennis Quaid, Fred Ward, Barbara Hershey, Sam Shepard, Pamela Reed, Veronica Cartwright, Lance Henriksen,  I could go on forever.  Everyone of the actors plays a significant role in the film, and every one of them is wonderful.  From Quaid's over-enthusiasm as Gordon Cooper, to Harris' understated and subtle performance as John Glenn,  there are no poor performances here.  Even the family lives of the astronauts is covered, going further into these mens' lives than some documentaries.  I was blown away.

If at all possible, allot yourself (and the family) the time to see this wonderful look at some true heroes.  The Right Stuff is a magnificent peek into the seminal years of one of the greatest eras of human achievement.  It won four Oscars, deservedly so.  Another movie (assuming I can find it on Blu-ray) going into the permanent collection.  See it, you won't be sorry, or bored.  9.75/10.

See you tomorrow, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!